BETA


2012/2089(BUD) Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead BUDG GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador (icon: PPE PPE) PICKART ALVARO Alexander Nuno (icon: ALDE ALDE)
Committee Opinion EMPL
Committee Opinion REGI
Lead committee dossier:

Events

2012/07/04
   Final act published in Official Journal
Details

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), providing support for redundancies in the Spanish footwear industry.

NON LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2012/354/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana footwear from Spain)

CONTENT: with this Decision, the European Parliament and the Council decided to mobilise the EGF in sum of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations for the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2012.

This sum is intended to come to the aid of Spain in respect of redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 (‘Manufacture of leather and related products’) in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52).

This application complies with the requirements for determining the financial contributions as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 (Regulation EGF) and the European Parliament and Council decided to grant the request.

It is recalled that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established to provide additional support for workers made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market. The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the EGF within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million. The scope of the EGF was broadened for applications submitted from 1 May 2009 to include support for workers made redundant as a direct result of the global financial and economic crisis.

2012/06/12
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2012/06/12
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 542 votes to 66, with 22 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry .

Parliament recalls that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Parliament calls on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation .

Parliament notes that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. It states that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014 , EGF/2010/005 , EGF/2010/009 , EGF/2011/006 .

In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package.

Parliament also notes: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks.

The resolution highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises.

In the process, Parliament expresses:

its satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants; the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved; that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment.

I t also requests that:

assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one; the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds; there is a need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports.

Parliament welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. It recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline , and calls on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.

Documents
2012/06/12
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2012/06/08
   CSL - Draft budget approved by Council
2012/06/08
   CSL - Council Meeting
2012/06/05
   EP - Budgetary report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report drafted by Salvador GARRIGA POLLEDO (PPE, ES) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry.

Members recall that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products')1 in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Members call on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation .

Members note that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. They state that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014 , EGF/2010/005 , EGF/2010/009 , EGF/2011/006 .

In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package.

They also note: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks.

The report highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises.

In the process, Members reiterate their traditional position for the handling a case of this nature:

their satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants; the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved; that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment; that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one; the fact that the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds; the need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports.

Members welcome the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. They recall that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline , and call on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.

Documents
2012/05/31
   EP - Vote in committee
2012/05/23
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2012/05/14
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2012/05/10
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2012/05/10
   EP - GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in BUDG
2012/05/04
   EC - Non-legislative basic document
Details

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Council Regulation No 1927/2006 to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline allows for the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) through a flexibility mechanism, within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework.

The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the application submitted by Spain to mobilise the EGF. The main elements of the assessment are as follows:

Spain : application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana – Footwear from Spain : o n 28 December 2011, Spain submitted application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana Footwear for a financial contribution from the EGF, following redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain. The application was supplemented by additional information up to 23 February 2012

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, the application describes the redundancies in the Comunidad Valenciana region against a background of radical change in the distribution of footwear production. Spain argues that according to available data imports of footwear from non-EU countries into the EU increased almost 6 % during the period 2006-2009 while EU exports declined by 16.4 % during the same period. As a direct consequence of the fall in exports the number of footwear producers in EU-27 decreased: in 2008 there were only 24 000 producers in the EU while in 2005 there were still 27 125. This reduction (11.58 %) in the number of firms had a direct impact on employment: 78 800 direct jobs -- representing almost 20 % of the total -- were lost in the sector during the period 2005-2008. The imports of footwear in Spain also followed an upward trend, growing by almost 20% during the period 2006-2010. However, the impact of the imbalance between imports and exports in the Spanish footwear industry was bigger than in the EU as a whole: the number of manufacturers decreased by 35.96 % during 2006-2010 (or 24.27 % if we consider only the period 2006-2009), as the number of firms fell from 2 283 to 1 462. Employment therefore contracted by 31.80 % and 10 663 direct jobs were lost during the same period.

The Spanish redundancies also follow the general trend in the footwear industry in the EU towards delocalisation to lower-cost non-EU countries of most of manufacturing sub-processes, keeping within the EU only the higher-value tasks such as product design and product marketing.

Spain submitted this application under the intervention criteria of Article 2(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, which requires at least 500 redundancies over a nine-month period in enterprises operating in the same NACE Revision 2 Division in one region or two contiguous regions at NUTS II level in a Member State.

The application cites 876 redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) during the nine-month reference period from 25 January 2011 to 25 October 2011.

After a thorough examination of this application, the Commission has concluded in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 that the conditions for a financial contribution under this Regulation are met.

On the basis of the application from Spain, the proposed contribution from the EGF to the coordinated package of personalised services (including expenditure to implement EGF) is EUR 1 631 565 , representing 65 % of the total cost.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: considering the maximum possible amount of a financial contribution from the EGF under Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the Commission proposes to mobilise the EGF for the total amount referred to above, to be allocated under heading 1a of the financial framework.

The proposed amount of financial contribution will leave more than 25 % of the maximum annual amount earmarked for the EGF available for allocations during the last four months of the year.

By presenting this proposal to mobilise the EGF, the Commission initiates the simplified trialogue procedure, as required by Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006, with a view to securing the agreement of the two arms of the budgetary authority on the need to use the EGF and the amount required. The Commission invites the first of the two arms of the budgetary authority that reaches agreement on the draft mobilisation proposal, at appropriate political level, to inform the other arm and the Commission of its intentions. In case of disagreement by either of the two arms of the budgetary authority, a formal trialogue meeting will be convened.

The Commission presents separately a transfer request in order to enter in the 2012 budget specific commitment appropriations, as required in Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006.

Appropriations from the EGF budget line will be used to cover the amount of EUR 1 631 565 needed for the present application.

2012/05/04
   EC - Non-legislative basic document published
Details

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Council Regulation No 1927/2006 to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline allows for the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) through a flexibility mechanism, within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework.

The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the application submitted by Spain to mobilise the EGF. The main elements of the assessment are as follows:

Spain : application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana – Footwear from Spain : o n 28 December 2011, Spain submitted application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana Footwear for a financial contribution from the EGF, following redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain. The application was supplemented by additional information up to 23 February 2012

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, the application describes the redundancies in the Comunidad Valenciana region against a background of radical change in the distribution of footwear production. Spain argues that according to available data imports of footwear from non-EU countries into the EU increased almost 6 % during the period 2006-2009 while EU exports declined by 16.4 % during the same period. As a direct consequence of the fall in exports the number of footwear producers in EU-27 decreased: in 2008 there were only 24 000 producers in the EU while in 2005 there were still 27 125. This reduction (11.58 %) in the number of firms had a direct impact on employment: 78 800 direct jobs -- representing almost 20 % of the total -- were lost in the sector during the period 2005-2008. The imports of footwear in Spain also followed an upward trend, growing by almost 20% during the period 2006-2010. However, the impact of the imbalance between imports and exports in the Spanish footwear industry was bigger than in the EU as a whole: the number of manufacturers decreased by 35.96 % during 2006-2010 (or 24.27 % if we consider only the period 2006-2009), as the number of firms fell from 2 283 to 1 462. Employment therefore contracted by 31.80 % and 10 663 direct jobs were lost during the same period.

The Spanish redundancies also follow the general trend in the footwear industry in the EU towards delocalisation to lower-cost non-EU countries of most of manufacturing sub-processes, keeping within the EU only the higher-value tasks such as product design and product marketing.

Spain submitted this application under the intervention criteria of Article 2(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, which requires at least 500 redundancies over a nine-month period in enterprises operating in the same NACE Revision 2 Division in one region or two contiguous regions at NUTS II level in a Member State.

The application cites 876 redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) during the nine-month reference period from 25 January 2011 to 25 October 2011.

After a thorough examination of this application, the Commission has concluded in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 that the conditions for a financial contribution under this Regulation are met.

On the basis of the application from Spain, the proposed contribution from the EGF to the coordinated package of personalised services (including expenditure to implement EGF) is EUR 1 631 565 , representing 65 % of the total cost.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: considering the maximum possible amount of a financial contribution from the EGF under Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the Commission proposes to mobilise the EGF for the total amount referred to above, to be allocated under heading 1a of the financial framework.

The proposed amount of financial contribution will leave more than 25 % of the maximum annual amount earmarked for the EGF available for allocations during the last four months of the year.

By presenting this proposal to mobilise the EGF, the Commission initiates the simplified trialogue procedure, as required by Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006, with a view to securing the agreement of the two arms of the budgetary authority on the need to use the EGF and the amount required. The Commission invites the first of the two arms of the budgetary authority that reaches agreement on the draft mobilisation proposal, at appropriate political level, to inform the other arm and the Commission of its intentions. In case of disagreement by either of the two arms of the budgetary authority, a formal trialogue meeting will be convened.

The Commission presents separately a transfer request in order to enter in the 2012 budget specific commitment appropriations, as required in Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006.

Appropriations from the EGF budget line will be used to cover the amount of EUR 1 631 565 needed for the present application.

Documents

AmendmentsDossier
18 2012/2089(BUD)
2012/05/23 BUDG 18 amendments...
source: PE-489.583

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/0
date
2012-05-04T00:00:00
docs
summary
type
Non-legislative basic document
body
EC
events/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/registre/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.507
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/BUDG-PR-489507_EN.html
docs/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.583
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/BUDG-AM-489583_EN.html
events/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/registre/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf
events/1/type
Old
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
New
Committee referral announced in Parliament
events/2/type
Old
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
New
Vote in committee
events/3
date
2012-06-05T00:00:00
type
Budgetary report tabled for plenary
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2012-0189_EN.html title: A7-0189/2012
summary
events/3
date
2012-06-05T00:00:00
type
Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2012-0189_EN.html title: A7-0189/2012
summary
events/6
date
2012-06-12T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2012-0231_EN.html title: T7-0231/2012
summary
events/6
date
2012-06-12T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2012-0231_EN.html title: T7-0231/2012
summary
procedure/Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure EP 150
procedure/Other legal basis
Rules of Procedure EP 159
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Budgets
committee
BUDG
rapporteur
name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
shadows
name: PICKART ALVARO Alexander Nuno group: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe abbr: ALDE
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Budgets
committee
BUDG
date
2012-05-10T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
shadows
name: PICKART ALVARO Alexander Nuno group: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe abbr: ALDE
events/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/registre/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf
events/3/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2012-0189_EN.html
events/6/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2012-231
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2012-0231_EN.html
activities
  • date: 2012-05-04T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/registre/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf title: COM(2012)0204 type: Non-legislative basic document published celexid: CELEX:52012PC0204:EN body: EC commission: DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz type: Non-legislative basic document published
  • date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP shadows: group: ALDE name: ALVARO Alexander responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: PPE name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs committee: EMPL body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Regional Development committee: REGI
  • date: 2012-05-31T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP shadows: group: ALDE name: ALVARO Alexander responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: PPE name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs committee: EMPL body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Regional Development committee: REGI
  • date: 2012-06-05T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading title: A7-0189/2012 body: EP type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
  • date: 2012-06-08T00:00:00 body: CSL type: Council Meeting council: Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) meeting_id: 3172
  • date: 2012-06-12T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=21667&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2012-231 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0231/2012 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2012-07-04T00:00:00 type: Final act published in Official Journal docs: url: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32012D0354 title: Decision 2012/354 url: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2012:174:TOC title: OJ L 174 04.07.2012, p. 0023
commission
  • body: EC dg: Budget commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Budgets
committee
BUDG
date
2012-05-10T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
shadows
name: PICKART ALVARO Alexander Nuno group: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe abbr: ALDE
committees/0
body
EP
shadows
group: ALDE name: ALVARO Alexander
responsible
True
committee
BUDG
date
2012-05-10T00:00:00
committee_full
Budgets
rapporteur
group: PPE name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
opinion
False
committees/1
body
EP
responsible
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
committees/2
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Regional Development
committee
REGI
opinion
False
committees/2
body
EP
responsible
False
committee_full
Regional Development
committee
REGI
council
  • body: CSL type: Council Meeting council: Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) meeting_id: 3172 url: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/content/out?lang=EN&typ=SET&i=SMPL&ROWSPP=25&RESULTSET=1&NRROWS=500&DOC_LANCD=EN&ORDERBY=DOC_DATE+DESC&CONTENTS=3172*&MEET_DATE=08/06/2012 date: 2012-06-08T00:00:00
docs
  • date: 2012-05-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.507 title: PE489.507 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2012-05-23T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.583 title: PE489.583 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
events
  • date: 2012-05-04T00:00:00 type: Non-legislative basic document published body: EC docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf title: COM(2012)0204 url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2012&nu_doc=204 title: EUR-Lex summary: PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain. PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council. CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Council Regulation No 1927/2006 to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market. The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline allows for the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) through a flexibility mechanism, within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework. The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the application submitted by Spain to mobilise the EGF. The main elements of the assessment are as follows: Spain : application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana – Footwear from Spain : o n 28 December 2011, Spain submitted application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana Footwear for a financial contribution from the EGF, following redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain. The application was supplemented by additional information up to 23 February 2012 In order to establish the link between the redundancies and major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, the application describes the redundancies in the Comunidad Valenciana region against a background of radical change in the distribution of footwear production. Spain argues that according to available data imports of footwear from non-EU countries into the EU increased almost 6 % during the period 2006-2009 while EU exports declined by 16.4 % during the same period. As a direct consequence of the fall in exports the number of footwear producers in EU-27 decreased: in 2008 there were only 24 000 producers in the EU while in 2005 there were still 27 125. This reduction (11.58 %) in the number of firms had a direct impact on employment: 78 800 direct jobs -- representing almost 20 % of the total -- were lost in the sector during the period 2005-2008. The imports of footwear in Spain also followed an upward trend, growing by almost 20% during the period 2006-2010. However, the impact of the imbalance between imports and exports in the Spanish footwear industry was bigger than in the EU as a whole: the number of manufacturers decreased by 35.96 % during 2006-2010 (or 24.27 % if we consider only the period 2006-2009), as the number of firms fell from 2 283 to 1 462. Employment therefore contracted by 31.80 % and 10 663 direct jobs were lost during the same period. The Spanish redundancies also follow the general trend in the footwear industry in the EU towards delocalisation to lower-cost non-EU countries of most of manufacturing sub-processes, keeping within the EU only the higher-value tasks such as product design and product marketing. Spain submitted this application under the intervention criteria of Article 2(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, which requires at least 500 redundancies over a nine-month period in enterprises operating in the same NACE Revision 2 Division in one region or two contiguous regions at NUTS II level in a Member State. The application cites 876 redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) during the nine-month reference period from 25 January 2011 to 25 October 2011. After a thorough examination of this application, the Commission has concluded in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 that the conditions for a financial contribution under this Regulation are met. On the basis of the application from Spain, the proposed contribution from the EGF to the coordinated package of personalised services (including expenditure to implement EGF) is EUR 1 631 565 , representing 65 % of the total cost. IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: considering the maximum possible amount of a financial contribution from the EGF under Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the Commission proposes to mobilise the EGF for the total amount referred to above, to be allocated under heading 1a of the financial framework. The proposed amount of financial contribution will leave more than 25 % of the maximum annual amount earmarked for the EGF available for allocations during the last four months of the year. By presenting this proposal to mobilise the EGF, the Commission initiates the simplified trialogue procedure, as required by Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006, with a view to securing the agreement of the two arms of the budgetary authority on the need to use the EGF and the amount required. The Commission invites the first of the two arms of the budgetary authority that reaches agreement on the draft mobilisation proposal, at appropriate political level, to inform the other arm and the Commission of its intentions. In case of disagreement by either of the two arms of the budgetary authority, a formal trialogue meeting will be convened. The Commission presents separately a transfer request in order to enter in the 2012 budget specific commitment appropriations, as required in Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006. Appropriations from the EGF budget line will be used to cover the amount of EUR 1 631 565 needed for the present application.
  • date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2012-05-31T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2012-06-05T00:00:00 type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN title: A7-0189/2012 summary: The Committee on Budgets adopted the report drafted by Salvador GARRIGA POLLEDO (PPE, ES) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry. Members recall that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products')1 in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Members call on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation . Members note that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. They state that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014 , EGF/2010/005 , EGF/2010/009 , EGF/2011/006 . In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package. They also note: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks. The report highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises. In the process, Members reiterate their traditional position for the handling a case of this nature: their satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants; the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved; that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment; that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one; the fact that the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds; the need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports. Members welcome the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. They recall that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline , and call on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.
  • date: 2012-06-08T00:00:00 type: Draft budget approved by Council body: CSL
  • date: 2012-06-12T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=21667&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2012-06-12T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2012-231 title: T7-0231/2012 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 542 votes to 66, with 22 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry . Parliament recalls that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Parliament calls on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation . Parliament notes that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. It states that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014 , EGF/2010/005 , EGF/2010/009 , EGF/2011/006 . In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package. Parliament also notes: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks. The resolution highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises. In the process, Parliament expresses: its satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants; the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved; that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment. I t also requests that: assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one; the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds; there is a need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports. Parliament welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. It recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline , and calls on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.
  • date: 2012-06-12T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
  • date: 2012-07-04T00:00:00 type: Final act published in Official Journal summary: PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), providing support for redundancies in the Spanish footwear industry. NON LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2012/354/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana footwear from Spain) CONTENT: with this Decision, the European Parliament and the Council decided to mobilise the EGF in sum of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations for the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2012. This sum is intended to come to the aid of Spain in respect of redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 (‘Manufacture of leather and related products’) in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52). This application complies with the requirements for determining the financial contributions as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 (Regulation EGF) and the European Parliament and Council decided to grant the request. It is recalled that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established to provide additional support for workers made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market. The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the EGF within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million. The scope of the EGF was broadened for applications submitted from 1 May 2009 to include support for workers made redundant as a direct result of the global financial and economic crisis. docs: title: Decision 2012/354 url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32012D0354 title: OJ L 174 04.07.2012, p. 0023 url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2012:174:TOC
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
procedure/Modified legal basis
Old
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
New
Rules of Procedure EP 150
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
Old
BUDG/7/09478
New
  • BUDG/7/09478
procedure/final/url
Old
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32012D0354
New
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32012D0354
procedure/subject
Old
  • 3.40.10 Textile and clothing industry, leathers
  • 4.15.05 Industrial restructuring, job losses, redundancies, relocations, Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF)
  • 8.70.52 2012 budget
New
3.40.10
Textile and clothing industry, leathers
4.15.05
Industrial restructuring, job losses, redundancies, relocations, Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF)
8.70.60
Previous annual budgets
activities/0/docs/0/celexid
CELEX:52012PC0204:EN
activities/0/docs/0/celexid
CELEX:52012PC0204:EN
procedure/subject/1
Old
4.15.05 Industrial restructuring, job losses, redundancies, relocations
New
4.15.05 Industrial restructuring, job losses, redundancies, relocations, Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF)
activities/0
body
EP
date
2012-05-04T00:00:00
type
Date
activities/0/docs/0/text/0
Old

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Council Regulation No 1927/2006 to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline allows for the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) through a flexibility mechanism, within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework.

The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the application submitted by Spain to mobilise the EGF. The main elements of the assessment are as follows:

Spain: application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana – Footwear from Spain: on 28 December 2011, Spain submitted application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana Footwear for a financial contribution from the EGF, following redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain. The application was supplemented by additional information up to 23 February 2012

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, the application describes the redundancies in the Comunidad Valenciana region against a background of radical change in the distribution of footwear production. Spain argues that according to available data imports of footwear from non-EU countries into the EU increased almost 6 % during the period 2006-2009 while EU exports declined by 16.4 % during the same period. As a direct consequence of the fall in exports the number of footwear producers in EU-27 decreased: in 2008 there were only 24 000 producers in the EU while in 2005 there were still 27 125. This reduction (11.58 %) in the number of firms had a direct impact on employment: 78 800 direct jobs -- representing almost 20 % of the total -- were lost in the sector during the period 2005-2008. The imports of footwear in Spain also followed an upward trend, growing by almost 20% during the period 2006-2010. However, the impact of the imbalance between imports and exports in the Spanish footwear industry was bigger than in the EU as a whole: the number of manufacturers decreased by 35.96 % during 2006-2010 (or 24.27 % if we consider only the period 2006-2009), as the number of firms fell from 2 283 to 1 462. Employment therefore contracted by 31.80 % and 10 663 direct jobs were lost during the same period.

The Spanish redundancies also follow the general trend in the footwear industry in the EU towards delocalisation to lower-cost non-EU countries of most of manufacturing sub-processes, keeping within the EU only the higher-value tasks such as product design and product marketing.

Spain submitted this application under the intervention criteria of Article 2(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, which requires at least 500 redundancies over a nine-month period in enterprises operating in the same NACE Revision 2 Division in one region or two contiguous regions at NUTS II level in a Member State.

The application cites 876 redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) during the nine-month reference period from 25 January 2011 to 25 October 2011.

After a thorough examination of this application, the Commission has concluded in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 that the conditions for a financial contribution under this Regulation are met.

On the basis of the application from Spain, the proposed contribution from the EGF to the coordinated package of personalised services (including expenditure to implement EGF) is EUR 1 631 565, representing 65 % of the total cost.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: considering the maximum possible amount of a financial contribution from the EGF under Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the Commission proposes to mobilise the EGF for the total amount referred to above, to be allocated under heading 1a of the financial framework.

The proposed amount of financial contribution will leave more than 25 % of the maximum annual amount earmarked for the EGF available for allocations during the last four months of the year.

By presenting this proposal to mobilise the EGF, the Commission initiates the simplified trialogue procedure, as required by Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006, with a view to securing the agreement of the two arms of the budgetary authority on the need to use the EGF and the amount required. The Commission invites the first of the two arms of the budgetary authority that reaches agreement on the draft mobilisation proposal, at appropriate political level, to inform the other arm and the Commission of its intentions. In case of disagreement by either of the two arms of the budgetary authority, a formal trialogue meeting will be convened.

The Commission presents separately a transfer request in order to enter in the 2012 budget specific commitment appropriations, as required in Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006.

Appropriations from the EGF budget line will be used to cover the amount of EUR 1 631 565 needed for the present application.

New

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Council Regulation No 1927/2006 to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline allows for the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) through a flexibility mechanism, within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework.

The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the application submitted by Spain to mobilise the EGF. The main elements of the assessment are as follows:

Spain: application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana – Footwear from Spain: on 28 December 2011, Spain submitted application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana Footwear for a financial contribution from the EGF, following redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain. The application was supplemented by additional information up to 23 February 2012

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, the application describes the redundancies in the Comunidad Valenciana region against a background of radical change in the distribution of footwear production. Spain argues that according to available data imports of footwear from non-EU countries into the EU increased almost 6 % during the period 2006-2009 while EU exports declined by 16.4 % during the same period. As a direct consequence of the fall in exports the number of footwear producers in EU-27 decreased: in 2008 there were only 24 000 producers in the EU while in 2005 there were still 27 125. This reduction (11.58 %) in the number of firms had a direct impact on employment: 78 800 direct jobs -- representing almost 20 % of the total -- were lost in the sector during the period 2005-2008. The imports of footwear in Spain also followed an upward trend, growing by almost 20% during the period 2006-2010. However, the impact of the imbalance between imports and exports in the Spanish footwear industry was bigger than in the EU as a whole: the number of manufacturers decreased by 35.96 % during 2006-2010 (or 24.27 % if we consider only the period 2006-2009), as the number of firms fell from 2 283 to 1 462. Employment therefore contracted by 31.80 % and 10 663 direct jobs were lost during the same period.

The Spanish redundancies also follow the general trend in the footwear industry in the EU towards delocalisation to lower-cost non-EU countries of most of manufacturing sub-processes, keeping within the EU only the higher-value tasks such as product design and product marketing.

Spain submitted this application under the intervention criteria of Article 2(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, which requires at least 500 redundancies over a nine-month period in enterprises operating in the same NACE Revision 2 Division in one region or two contiguous regions at NUTS II level in a Member State.

The application cites 876 redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) during the nine-month reference period from 25 January 2011 to 25 October 2011.

After a thorough examination of this application, the Commission has concluded in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 that the conditions for a financial contribution under this Regulation are met.

On the basis of the application from Spain, the proposed contribution from the EGF to the coordinated package of personalised services (including expenditure to implement EGF) is EUR 1 631 565, representing 65 % of the total cost.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: considering the maximum possible amount of a financial contribution from the EGF under Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the Commission proposes to mobilise the EGF for the total amount referred to above, to be allocated under heading 1a of the financial framework.

The proposed amount of financial contribution will leave more than 25 % of the maximum annual amount earmarked for the EGF available for allocations during the last four months of the year.

By presenting this proposal to mobilise the EGF, the Commission initiates the simplified trialogue procedure, as required by Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006, with a view to securing the agreement of the two arms of the budgetary authority on the need to use the EGF and the amount required. The Commission invites the first of the two arms of the budgetary authority that reaches agreement on the draft mobilisation proposal, at appropriate political level, to inform the other arm and the Commission of its intentions. In case of disagreement by either of the two arms of the budgetary authority, a formal trialogue meeting will be convened.

The Commission presents separately a transfer request in order to enter in the 2012 budget specific commitment appropriations, as required in Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006.

Appropriations from the EGF budget line will be used to cover the amount of EUR 1 631 565 needed for the present application.

activities/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2012&nu_doc=204
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/registre/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0204/COM_COM(2012)0204_EN.pdf
activities/0/type
Old
Non-legislative basic document
New
Non-legislative basic document published
activities/1/committees
  • body: EP shadows: group: ALDE name: ALVARO Alexander responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: PPE name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs committee: EMPL
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Regional Development committee: REGI
activities/1/date
Old
2012-05-14T00:00:00
New
2012-05-10T00:00:00
activities/1/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.507 type: Committee draft report title: PE489.507
activities/1/type
Old
Committee draft report
New
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
activities/2/committees/0/rapporteur/0/group
Old
EPP
New
PPE
activities/2/committees/0/rapporteur/0/mepref
Old
4de184e50fb8127435bdbe35
New
4f1ac831b819f25efd0000d1
activities/2/committees/0/shadows
  • group: ALDE name: ALVARO Alexander
activities/3/committees
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: EPP name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs committee: EMPL
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Regional Development committee: REGI
activities/3/date
Old
2012-05-10T00:00:00
New
2012-06-05T00:00:00
activities/3/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading title: A7-0189/2012
activities/3/type
Old
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
New
Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
activities/5/docs/0
url
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=21667&l=en
type
Results of vote in Parliament
title
Results of vote in Parliament
activities/5/docs/1/text/0
Old

The European Parliament adopted by 542 votes to 66, with 22 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry.

Parliament recalls that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Parliament calls on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation.

Parliament notes that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. It states that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014, EGF/2010/005, EGF/2010/009, EGF/2011/006.

In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package.

Parliament also notes: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks.

The resolution highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises.

In the process, Parliament expresses:

  • its satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants;
  • the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved;
  • that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment.

It also requests that:

  • assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one;
  • the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds;
  • there is a need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports.

Parliament welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. It recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline, and calls on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.

New

The European Parliament adopted by 542 votes to 66, with 22 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry.

Parliament recalls that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Parliament calls on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation.

Parliament notes that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. It states that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014, EGF/2010/005, EGF/2010/009, EGF/2011/006.

In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package.

Parliament also notes: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks.

The resolution highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises.

In the process, Parliament expresses:

  • its satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants;
  • the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved;
  • that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment.

It also requests that:

  • assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one;
  • the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds;
  • there is a need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports.

Parliament welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. It recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline, and calls on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.

activities/5/type
Old
Budgetary text adopted by Parliament
New
Results of vote in Parliament
activities/6
date
2012-06-05T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading title: A7-0189/2012
body
EP
type
Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
activities/6/body
EP
activities/6/date
Old
2012-05-22T00:00:00
New
2012-07-04T00:00:00
activities/6/docs
  • url: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32012D0354 title: Decision 2012/354
  • url: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2012:174:TOC title: OJ L 174 04.07.2012, p. 0023
activities/6/text
  • PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), providing support for redundancies in the Spanish footwear industry.

    NON LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2012/354/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana footwear from Spain)

    CONTENT: with this Decision, the European Parliament and the Council decided to mobilise the EGF in sum of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations for the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2012.

    This sum is intended to come to the aid of Spain in respect of redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 (‘Manufacture of leather and related products’) in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52).

    This application complies with the requirements for determining the financial contributions as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 (Regulation EGF) and the European Parliament and Council decided to grant the request.

    It is recalled that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established to provide additional support for workers made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market. The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the EGF within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million. The scope of the EGF was broadened for applications submitted from 1 May 2009 to include support for workers made redundant as a direct result of the global financial and economic crisis.

activities/6/type
Old
Deadline Amendments
New
Final act published in Official Journal
activities/9
date
2012-07-04T00:00:00
docs
type
Final act published in Official Journal
committees/0/rapporteur/0/group
Old
EPP
New
PPE
committees/0/rapporteur/0/mepref
Old
4de184e50fb8127435bdbe35
New
4f1ac831b819f25efd0000d1
committees/0/shadows
  • group: ALDE name: ALVARO Alexander
procedure/Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
procedure/subject/2
Old
8.70.13 2012 budget
New
8.70.52 2012 budget
activities/9
date
2012-07-04T00:00:00
docs
type
Final act published in Official Journal
procedure/final
url
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32012D0354
title
Decision 2012/354
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Procedure completed, awaiting publication in Official Journal
New
Procedure completed
activities/8/docs/0/text
  • The European Parliament adopted by 542 votes to 66, with 22 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry.

    Parliament recalls that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Parliament calls on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation.

    Parliament notes that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. It states that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014, EGF/2010/005, EGF/2010/009, EGF/2011/006.

    In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package.

    Parliament also notes: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks.

    The resolution highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises.

    In the process, Parliament expresses:

    • its satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants;
    • the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved;
    • that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment.

    It also requests that:

    • assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one;
    • the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds;
    • there is a need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports.

    Parliament welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. It recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline, and calls on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.

activities/9
body
EC
date
2012-06-12T00:00:00
type
Prev DG PRES
commission
DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
activities/8/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2012-231 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0231/2012
activities/8/type
Old
End of procedure in Parliament
New
Budgetary text adopted by Parliament
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
New
Procedure completed, awaiting publication in Official Journal
activities/6
date
2012-06-05T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading title: A7-0189/2012
body
EP
type
Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
activities/6/body
Old
EP/CSL
New
EP
activities/6/date
Old
2012-06-08T00:00:00
New
2012-06-05T00:00:00
activities/6/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading title: A7-0189/2012
activities/6/type
Old
Act adopted by Council after consultation of Parliament
New
Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
activities/7
date
2012-06-08T00:00:00
body
CSL
type
Council Meeting
council
Justice and Home Affairs (JHA)
meeting_id
3172
activities/8
date
2012-06-08T00:00:00
body
EP/CSL
type
Act adopted by Council after consultation of Parliament
activities/9/type
Old
Vote scheduled
New
End of procedure in Parliament
activities/6/docs/0/text
  • The Committee on Budgets adopted the report drafted by Salvador GARRIGA POLLEDO (PPE, ES) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the amount of EUR 1 631 565 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry.

    Members recall that the European Union set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Spain requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products')1 in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52), Members call on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount given that the Commission agrees that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met. Spain is, therefore, entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation.

    Members note that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics. They state that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014, EGF/2010/005, EGF/2010/009, EGF/2011/006.

    In order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package.

    They also note: (i) the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences; (ii) that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector; (ii) the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks.

    The report highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises.

    In the process, Members reiterate their traditional position for the handling a case of this nature:

    • their satisfaction with the improvement of the procedure established by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants;
    • the need to achieve further improvements in the procedure to be integrated in new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and for greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF to be achieved;
    • that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to long-term employment;
    • that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors. It deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one;
    • the fact that the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds;
    • the need to obtain a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports.

    Members welcome the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. They recall that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF. Members regret the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the increase in the rate of Union cofinancing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline, and call on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay.

activities/7/type
Old
EP 1R Plenary
New
Vote scheduled
activities/6/docs/0/url
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-189&language=EN
activities/6
date
2012-06-05T00:00:00
docs
type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading title: A7-0189/2012
body
EP
type
Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
activities/1/docs/0/text
  • PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain.

    PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

    CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Council Regulation No 1927/2006 to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

    The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline allows for the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) through a flexibility mechanism, within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework.

    The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the application submitted by Spain to mobilise the EGF. The main elements of the assessment are as follows:

    Spain: application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana – Footwear from Spain: on 28 December 2011, Spain submitted application EGF/2011/020 ES/Comunidad Valenciana Footwear for a financial contribution from the EGF, following redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain. The application was supplemented by additional information up to 23 February 2012

    In order to establish the link between the redundancies and major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, the application describes the redundancies in the Comunidad Valenciana region against a background of radical change in the distribution of footwear production. Spain argues that according to available data imports of footwear from non-EU countries into the EU increased almost 6 % during the period 2006-2009 while EU exports declined by 16.4 % during the same period. As a direct consequence of the fall in exports the number of footwear producers in EU-27 decreased: in 2008 there were only 24 000 producers in the EU while in 2005 there were still 27 125. This reduction (11.58 %) in the number of firms had a direct impact on employment: 78 800 direct jobs -- representing almost 20 % of the total -- were lost in the sector during the period 2005-2008. The imports of footwear in Spain also followed an upward trend, growing by almost 20% during the period 2006-2010. However, the impact of the imbalance between imports and exports in the Spanish footwear industry was bigger than in the EU as a whole: the number of manufacturers decreased by 35.96 % during 2006-2010 (or 24.27 % if we consider only the period 2006-2009), as the number of firms fell from 2 283 to 1 462. Employment therefore contracted by 31.80 % and 10 663 direct jobs were lost during the same period.

    The Spanish redundancies also follow the general trend in the footwear industry in the EU towards delocalisation to lower-cost non-EU countries of most of manufacturing sub-processes, keeping within the EU only the higher-value tasks such as product design and product marketing.

    Spain submitted this application under the intervention criteria of Article 2(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, which requires at least 500 redundancies over a nine-month period in enterprises operating in the same NACE Revision 2 Division in one region or two contiguous regions at NUTS II level in a Member State.

    The application cites 876 redundancies in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) during the nine-month reference period from 25 January 2011 to 25 October 2011.

    After a thorough examination of this application, the Commission has concluded in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 that the conditions for a financial contribution under this Regulation are met.

    On the basis of the application from Spain, the proposed contribution from the EGF to the coordinated package of personalised services (including expenditure to implement EGF) is EUR 1 631 565, representing 65 % of the total cost.

    IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.

    FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: considering the maximum possible amount of a financial contribution from the EGF under Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the Commission proposes to mobilise the EGF for the total amount referred to above, to be allocated under heading 1a of the financial framework.

    The proposed amount of financial contribution will leave more than 25 % of the maximum annual amount earmarked for the EGF available for allocations during the last four months of the year.

    By presenting this proposal to mobilise the EGF, the Commission initiates the simplified trialogue procedure, as required by Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006, with a view to securing the agreement of the two arms of the budgetary authority on the need to use the EGF and the amount required. The Commission invites the first of the two arms of the budgetary authority that reaches agreement on the draft mobilisation proposal, at appropriate political level, to inform the other arm and the Commission of its intentions. In case of disagreement by either of the two arms of the budgetary authority, a formal trialogue meeting will be convened.

    The Commission presents separately a transfer request in order to enter in the 2012 budget specific commitment appropriations, as required in Point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006.

    Appropriations from the EGF budget line will be used to cover the amount of EUR 1 631 565 needed for the present application.

activities/5/committees
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: EPP name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs committee: EMPL
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Regional Development committee: REGI
activities/5/type
Old
Prev Adopt in Cte
New
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
activities/6/date
Old
2012-07-10T00:00:00
New
2012-06-12T00:00:00
activities/7/date
Old
2012-07-10T00:00:00
New
2012-06-12T00:00:00
activities/6/type
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
New
EP 1R Plenary
activities/7
body
EC
date
2012-07-10T00:00:00
type
Prev DG PRES
commission
DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
activities/3/docs/0/url
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.507
activities/4
body
EP
date
2012-05-22T00:00:00
type
Deadline Amendments
activities/1/commission/0
DG
Commissioner
LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
other/0
body
EC
dg
commissioner
LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
activities/1/docs/0/celexid
CELEX:52012PC0204:EN
activities/2/committees/0/date
2012-05-10T00:00:00
activities/2/committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: EPP name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador
activities/3
date
2012-05-14T00:00:00
docs
type: Committee draft report title: PE489.507
body
EP
type
Committee draft report
committees/0/date
2012-05-10T00:00:00
committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: EPP name: GARRIGA POLLEDO Salvador
activities/2
date
2012-05-10T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
committees
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
BUDG/7/09478
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Preparatory phase in Parliament
New
Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
activities/2
body
EP
date
2012-05-31T00:00:00
type
Prev Adopt in Cte
activities
  • body: EP date: 2012-05-04T00:00:00 type: Date
  • date: 2012-05-04T00:00:00 docs: url: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2012&nu_doc=204 type: Non-legislative basic document published title: COM(2012)0204 type: Non-legislative basic document body: EC commission:
  • date: 2012-07-10T00:00:00 body: EP type: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
committees
  • body: EP responsible: True committee_full: Budgets committee: BUDG
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs committee: EMPL
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Regional Development committee: REGI
links
other
    procedure
    reference
    2012/2089(BUD)
    title
    Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: redundancies in the footwear industry in Spain
    geographical_area
    Spain
    stage_reached
    Preparatory phase in Parliament
    subtype
    Mobilisation of funds
    type
    BUD - Budgetary procedure
    subject